Abbott, Bulls trio headline NP Squad

New South Wales allrounder Sean Abbott and a trio of Queenslanders headline an 18-man National Performance Squad that will compete in the upcoming Quadrangular Winter 'A' Series.

The squad, announced by Cricket Australia today, will play against Australia A, India A and South Africa A in the one-day format.

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Abbott, with one ODI and three T20 internationals to his name, is the most decorated of the group, while Sam Heazlett, Matthew Renshaw and Mitch Swepson all made impressive strides for the Bulls during the summer of 2015-16.

"All of these players have some degree of state experience as part of the Australian Cricket Pathway and this is just another step up in their development," said Cricket Australia's National Talent Manager and Test legend Greg Chappell.

"Selection in this squad pays tribute to the hard work that these players have put in and acknowledges that performances are noted and rewarded in the current Pathway system."

The squad includes a large number of players from the recent Under-19 tour to Dubai, including New South Wales spinning allrounder Arjun Nair and Victoria's Sam Harper, who also made their Sheffield Shield debuts last season.

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They will be coached by former England international Graeme Hick and recently-retired Australia quick Ryan Harris in an assistant capacity, with Hick saying this side will be competitive and looking to claim victories across the month-long series.

"Although the team's success won't be measured by win-loss ratio, we still expect this side to be competitive and with the talent in the team, a victory along the way isn't out of the question," Hick said.

"Alongside the Australia A squad, these players are the future of Australian cricket and we are excited to see the progress they make in this important tournament."

The one-day quadrangular A series will be played in Townsville and Mackay and is a key component of Cricket Australia's commitment to take cricket to all parts of Australia.

For the first time, every Quadrangular A Series match will be live streamed on cricket.com.au and the Cricket Australia Live App.

National Performance Squad: Sean Abbott (NSW), Hilton Cartwright (WA), Kyle Gardiner (WA), David Grant (SA), Sam Grimwade (Vic), Sam Harper (Vic), Sam Heazlett (Qld), Clint Hinchliffe (WA), Josh Inglis (WA), Caleb Jewell (Tas), David Moody (WA), Arjun Nair (NSW), Tom O'Donnell (Vic), Matthew Renshaw (Qld), Matthew Short (Vic), Mitchell Swepson (Qld).

Coach: Graeme Hick. Assistant coach: Ryan Harris.

AUS A SERIES SQUADS/FIXTURES DETAILS

Australia A squad: Cameron Bancroft, Scott Boland, Cameron Boyce, Travis Dean, Peter Handscomb, Sam Heazlett, Jake Lehmann, Chris Lynn, Joe Mennie, Kurtis Patterson, Joel Paris, Matt Renshaw, Kane Richardson, Alex Ross, Chadd Sayers, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Chris Tremain, Dan Worrall, Sam Whiteman.

South Africa A four-day squad: Stephen Cook (c), Qaasim Adams, Temba Bavuma, Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Duanne Olivier, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Omphile Ramela, Stiaan van Zyl, Dane Vilas, Hardus Viljoen 

South Africa A one-day squad: Wayne Parnell (c), Qaasim Adams, Marchant de Lange, Reeza Hendricks, Heino Kuhn, Eddie Leie, Sisanda Magala, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Rilee Rossouw, Malusi Siboto, Khaya Zondo, David Miller, Dane Vilas 

India A squad: Naman Ojha (capt), Faiz Fazal, Akhil Herwadkar, Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Varun Aaron, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat, Barinder Sran, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sanju Samson.

Fixtures

Four-day matches 

30 July – 2 August, Australia A v South Africa A, Allan Border Field, Brisbane
6 August – 9 August, Australia A v South Africa A, Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville

One-day Series

13 August, South Africa A v NPS, Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville
14 August, Australia A v India A, Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville
16 August, Australia A v NPS, Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville
17 August, South Africa A v India A, Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville
20 August, Australia A v South Africa A, Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville
21 August, India A v NPS, Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville
24 August, NPS v Australia A, Harrup Park, Mackay
25 August, South Africa A v India A, Harrup Park, Mackay
27 August, NPS v India A, Harrup Park, Mackay
28 August, Australia A v South Africa A, Harrup Park, Mackay
30 August, Australia A v India A, Harrup Park, Mackay
31 August, South Africa A v NPS, Harrup Park, Mackay
3 September; Final 3 v 4, Harrup Park, Mackay
4 September, Final 1 v 2, Harrup Park, Mackay

Four-day matches

8-11 September, Australia A v India A, Allan Border Field, Brisbane
15-18 September, Australia A v India A, Allan Border Field, Brisbane